Office of Marriage & Family Life

FOCCUS Marriage Inventories

FOCCUS offers training that "Facilitate Open, Caring Communication, Understanding and Study." 

• For a parish to register with FOCCUS for marriage inventories, go here.

• To become a facilitator for FOCCUS, go here.

• For engaged couples looking to find a FOCCUS facilitator, click here to find the directory.​​​​

Order of Celebrating Matrimony
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Consult the text of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony to gain a deeper understanding of the rite including how to prepare for its celebration.

The introduction section of the Order of Celebratng Matrimony provides a very helpful explanation of how the Church understands and reverences the Sacrament of Matrimony. Pastoral Assistants for Faith Formation, Marriage Coordinators and others who work in marriage preparation can benefit from reading the first 11 paragraphs in the introduction as they provide helpful context for the reasons why the Church asks for proper preparation for the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Order of Blessing a Married Couple within Mass on the Anniversary of Marriage

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The Order of Celebrating Matrimony includes a blessing for a married couple within Mass on the Anniversary of Marriage in Appendix III. This simple ritual provides structure for these blessings.

Please note, the text in the link above is provided by the Liturgy Office of England and Wales and some of the paragraph numbers are different than in the USCCB approved 2016 Liturgical Press publication. The text of the ritual, however is the same.

Gaudium et spes

The second chapter in Part II (Paragraphs 48-52) of Gaudium et Spes or the Pastoral Constitution on the Church from the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) provides a very helpful description of how the Church understands marriage.